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Galathraikes (Celto-Thracian Infantry)
''These veteran warriors are well-equipped and able medium infantry. The result of a fusion of Keltic and Thraikian elements in the Hellenistic Balkans, they carry many of the material artefacts and adhere to many of the cultural mores which have for so long made Thraikes and Galatai such desirable components of any army. '' Description These warriors are highly sought after swordsmen from the Keltic-dominated regions of Thraike. They carry a small, sturdy thureos, several javelins, and a Keltic longsword. They wear bronze helmets of Keltic types, which became popular after the Galatai invaded Thraike, and wear little armament aside from this helmet and their shield, even though for the price of their arm torcs (a fusion of Thraikian and Keltic practice) they could afford some form of body armour. Many of them are veterans, former mercenaries in the armies of Hellenistic rulers or poleis, or warriors in the tribal armies of Galatian or Thraikian rulers. They carry good equipment and handle it well, and most of them have chosen to forsake armour, having learned from experience the values of mobility and endurance. They are valuable as shock troops of a sort: throwing them against unbroken ranks of Sarissai will likely end in their deaths, but are at their best in quick assaults on flanks or against enemy fortifications. Historically, when the Galatai invaded Thraike, they set up small polities: that of Tylis and that of the Skordiskoi. There is also evidence for military settlement of Keltic warriors by the Udrusai at the borders of Thraike, as in the case of the Serdoi, which predates the Galatian invasion. So it would seem that mixed communities were already emerging. Within them, the Galatian warriors seem to have held prominence, but, especially in the case of Tylis, they were too few in number for their rulers to exclude the defeated Thraikes from the ranks of an effective army. So members of other defeated tribes were integrated bit by bit. They quickly adopted some of the Keltic weapons and armour, and began using the torc, not around the neck, but as a set, on their arms, replacing the bracelets and arm bands they had formerly used. Several Hellenistic period finds from Bulgaria have revealed warrior burials which feature a mix of Thraikian and Galatian practice: La Tene longswords, the Thraikian torcs, and a number of types of eastern Keltic helmets. Many of these soldiers likely fought for or against the rulers of Tylis and of the Skordiskoi. Many others likely capitalized on the popularity of Galatai in Hellenistic armies, seeking service with the Ptolemaioi at Maroneia, or after 197, with the Seleukidai in the same place. The Seleukidai, if we follow Arrianos, actually invaded Maroneia for the purpose of recruiting the Galatai in Thraike. From the Hellenistic perspective, a Galatian sword and a Galatian shield usually were sufficient to constitute a Galates, and many Thraikes and Galathraikes--the result of long cohabitation in Tylis and the lands of the Skordiskoi means it is difficult to really speak of Galatian or Thraikian as if they are fully separate from one another--likely benefited from the ambiguity surrounding Galatian identity, and from the Hellenistic overall desire for semi-barbarian warriors, whether Thraikes or Galatai. Category:Units available only in EB2 Category:Celtic Units Category:Boii Category:Epeiros Category:Makedonia Category:Getai Category:Bosporan